Search

UPDATE 2: The official opening of Punchdown is today (Tuesday, December 7th). Though the website had teased me and said they’d be open 7 days a week, it now says they will be closed Sundays and Mondays. Sad.

UPDATE 1: I walked by today (Friday, December 3rd), and though the windows were still covered in newspaper, the sign said they are holding their grand opening party tonight from 6-9pm.

For the past year, since Franklin Square Wine Bar closed, I’ve walked past the storefront every day, glancing to see if anything had changed inside. And everyday I saw the same thing – a restaurant and wine bar that appeared as it should be opening that evening, still full of tables, chairs, decor, and even wine glasses. I kept wondering if they’d ever clear it out or were just planning to tease me for years to come.

On Monday I walked by and was startled by this sign in the window:

Finally, the teasing has ended!

I couldn’t see inside much, as most of the windows were covered by newspaper, but according to their website they’re opening today.

Whether they’re opening today or not, I’m so excited about the return/reincarnation of FSWB, as it used to be one of my favorite places to grab a bite to eat and a glass of wine. And though I have no idea how different the Punchdown will be, I do know that like FSWB they will be open on Mondays (and every other day of the week), which is awesome, since so few restaurants downtown are open on Mondays. Oh, and they serve lunch too so here’s another place to add to the growing list of downtown lunch options.

I’ll try to stop in this week to check if they’re open and to grab a glass of wine, but if you make it there before me, please share your thoughts.

I walk past there every day too, and was very excited to see the sign a couple of weeks ago. Doesn’t look like they’re opening today, but I saw someone in there working this evening when I went by on the way home–I think they should be ready soon.

Recent Posts

It’s been nearly two years since I’ve written anything here and nearly three years since I announced a “hiatus” for this blog, but as I was writing my endorsements to post on Facebook, I thought I should post them here as well. This will probably be my last blog post for a very long time, […]

Four years after several Oakland advocates, bloggers, and blog readers saved the space from becoming a surface parking lot, the Uptown Art Park is opening this Friday night! Thanks to hard work by staff in the City’s Public Art Program and funding from the National Endowment for the Arts, Oaklanders and Uptown visitors will soon […]

This guest blog post was written by Daniel Schulman, who first moved to Oakland in 1984. Following a multi-year break for graduate school and career, he returned to the city in 2001 where he has lived since. During that time, Dan has worked to improve Oakland’s livability while maintaining its unique character. He is a […]

This guest blog post was written by Josie Schimke, the Program Development Associate for the Black Rock Arts Foundation. Through her administrative and program support over the last five years for BRAF, Josie has had the privilege of watching promising art proposals mature into exceptional achievements of public art. The Black Rock Arts Foundation (BRAF) […]

This guest blog post was written by Josh Sonnenfeld, Campaign Manager for Save the Bay. This post is cross-posted from Save the Bay’s blog, one of the handful of environmental blogs I read regularly. If you care about the Bay, you should be reading it too. A gem at the heart of Oakland, Lake Merritt […]